John N. Basic, Sr., in his U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,438,705 issued on Mar. 27, 1984, and 4,516,510 issued on May 14, 1985, both entitled "Incinerator With Two Reburn Stages and, Optionally, Heat Recovery", provided an incinerator system and techniques that very significantly advanced the art of incinerating refuse. The disclosures provided equipment and methods for taking waste of vastly different descriptions, heat contents, and wetness and, within one type of equipment, incinerating them in an environmentally acceptable manner. These disclosures merit a careful understanding and are incorporated by reference.
Not only do Basic's two patents provide a complete incinerator system for burning refuse in bulk or hydrocarbon liquids, they also provide equipment and techniques for incinerating hydrocarbon-containing fumes from sources which may produce them. Again, they accomplish this result without substantial deleterious effect upon the environment.
Naturally, in a system as complex as that shown by Basic in his two patents, a consideration of the various components by a creative mind can suggest and lead to improvements and further developments that can improve the efficiency of the system. Thus, for example, Basic's U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,469, issued on Oct. 9, 1984, discloses, in conjunction with the above two patents, an improved hearth floor which moves under the influence of impulses to urge the burning debris along from the inlet of the main chamber to the ash outlet. This pulsating hearth developed by Basic represents a significant improvement on the major advances disclosed in his two incinerator patents referenced above.
Austrian patent No. 317,401 to Bent Faurholdt, published on Aug. 26, 1974, introduces air into a reburn tunnel through a pipe placed on the middle of that tunnel itself. However, Faurholdt suggests no use for his pipe other than introducing the air into the tunnel. Furthermore, introducing the air through perforations in the pipe results in a "T" configuration for the velocity components of the gases. This may even result in the air thus introduce resisting the flow of gases through the reburn tunnel.
Accordingly, the present invention provides additional improvements to an incinerator system that will increase its efficiency. At the same time, the system will have the ability to reach operating temperatures prior to the introduction to refuse and with the expenditure of only minimal amounts of auxiliary fuel. Additionally, in general, the developments provide greater ease in the utilization of an incinerator system.